Waves combine. Ears analyze. Brains interpret. Some notes blend or feel settled. Others create a wobble, a buzz, or a feeling that the music needs to move. These are related—not identical—experiences. [1–4]
HarmonyNotes heard together.
ConsonanceRelatively blended or settled.
DissonanceRough or unsettled. Not “bad.”
AIR / two tones, one pressure wave
Almost the same. Not quite.
Press play, then move the gap between the tones.
Pressure over timeFROZEN · 40 MILLISECONDS
These lines graph pressure—not the path air travels through the room.
How the combined wave swells1 SECOND
Relative wave amplitude, not a measurement of perceived loudness.
Same pitchOne octave apart
Tone A stays at 220 vibrations per second. Tone B moves from 220 to 440.
EAR / one note, many frequencies
A note is usually a bundle.
Add overtones. Watch where the two bundles meet.
Frequencies inside each note3 : 2 · FIFTH
A: solid B: dashed Shared frequency
Horizontal = frequency. Height = relative component amplitude. This is a sound spectrum, not a picture of the cochlea.
Slightly lowerSlightly higher
Ideal ratios here, not exact piano tuning. One cent is 1/100 of a semitone.
Show the actual frequencies
BRAIN / sound plus expectation
Does it feel finished?
Hear the same musical phrase with and without its ending.
LISTEN FOR THE PULL
A little journey in C majorTAP A CHORD
First hear the question. Then hear the answer.
G7 → C is a familiar tension-and-release move in Western tonal music. The pull comes from both the sounds and what you have learned to expect. [4]
Go deeper: same final chord, different setup
These two phrases end on the exact same C major chord: same notes, sound, volume setting, and duration. Only the preceding chords differ.
Does the final C feel more finished after one setup? This is a listening experiment, not a promise that everyone will hear it the same way. [4,5]
Sound is off. Start with low device volume.
Experiment 1 of 3
Follow your ears, not a verdict. • A self-contained interactive listening lab.